Abstract
Peaceful coexistence is China's overarching foreign policy concept that
guides China's interactions with other actors in the pursuit of its
interests. The objective of coexistence is to allow China to continue
its economic, social and military modernization process without
jeopardizing relations with other states by allowing for different
interpretations of the principles of international conduct. Coexistence
engenders change in the status quo in two senses. First, China's
continued modernization process involves a change in the regional
balance of power in China's favour. Second, peaceful coexistence seeks
to apply some of the traditional Chinese concepts of mediation rather
than adversarial judicial resolution of problems as practiced in Western
judicial systems. Therefore, it allows for different interpretations of
international law and compromises instead of one universal
interpretation and a winner/loser outcome. The seminar discussed to what
extent China applied this coexistence strategy in its global security
policy and in Asia and what the consequences were for peace and stability.